


In Time

by minhyuksjooheon



Category: Monsta X
Genre: Christmas, Honeypup, JooHyuk, M/M, Super Soft, Valentine’s Day, his bff is his sons mom, itll take a while to write, jooheon is bi, jooheons daughter is an angel, jooheons ex is evil, joomin, lowercase intended, minheon, minhyuk lost his bff, minhyuks brother is mean, minjoo, monhyuk is gay, soft, super gay, they’re both dads, they’re both teachers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 23:32:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minhyuksjooheon/pseuds/minhyuksjooheon
Summary: forelsket; the word for when you start to fall in love. a euphoria in a sense; the beginning of love.





	1. Santas Elf

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first story actual story concerning joohyuk! i haven’t written a full length story in a while, so some parts might be a little poorly written! nonetheless, i hope you enjoy! 
> 
> [lowercase intended]

"minji, please," jooheon whined, pulling his daughter away from her car seat, "papa will buy you ice cream if you come with me!" 

"no! you said that last time," she pouted and crossed her arms, "i wanna go to mommy's house," 

"she's out of town right now, sweetie," he sighed, trying to collect himself, "i'll tell you what. if you be a good girl, i'll take you to see santa and his elves. how does that sound?" 

the four year olds features softened at her father's words, "okay!" she exclaimed, reaching out for jooheon to hold her. jooheon quickly picked her up, soon grabbing her stuffed puppy and headband, "why are we here?" minji asked as they walked into the large shopping plaza. 

"i have to buy gifts for my friends," jooheon said softly, hugging minji closer for warmth. 

"can i buy gifts too?" the girl pouts, holding her stuffed puppy close. 

"next time we come, love," 

"but when is that?" she pries, "i have friends too, papa!" 

"i know, minji. next time we come you can buy gifts, okay?" they finally made their way into the warm building, their senses being filled with christmas. 

mariah carey sang through the large building, the smell of cookies and hot chocolate made its way towards them, and there were decorations everywhere. jooheon didn't _hate_ christmas, but he could definitely get enough of it. 

"what store first?" he mumbled to himself, taking his list out. he was getting presents for his three best friends, shownu, wonho, and hyungwon. 

they weren't very picky people, and that made trying to choose a gift even more difficult, "so minji," he started, looking at his daughter. 

"hm?" she hummed. 

"what do you think uncle nunu would like for christmas?" 

her face turned serious as she thought about the question, "a teddy bear!" she beamed, "he looks like one! uncle wonho looks like a bunny, and uncle wonnie is a turtle!" 

"a turtle?" jooheon laughed, "what am i?" 

"you're a bumblebee, papa!" she said excitedly, "sometimes you're mean, but you're cute," 

the two giggled as they made their way into the first store, "i'll tell you what, you can buy stuffed animals for your uncles, but you can't tell them what you get. okay?" 

the little girl nodded her head quickly as her father put her down, soon taking her small hand into his own. the two shopped for quite a while, giggling when one made a joke. they were happy. just the two of them. 

-

"okay, minnie," jooheon smiled, crouching down to his daughters height, "do you want to go see santa? you've been good today," 

"yes, please," she smiled, wrapping her arms around jooheons neck, hugging him. 

"alright, let's go see santa!" 

they made their way down the long escalator, jooheons many bags in hand. they spotted the short line of people around the bearded man, soon joining it. today would obviously be a slower day, since it was a tuesday. 

as they waited in line, minji spotted an elf and quickly called him over to her. 

"what can i help you with, princess?" he said, his smile making the young girls cheeks turn pink. 

"how much longer?" she whined. 

"well, santa has..." he trailed, counting the people in front of the two, "three more kids to see, then it's your turn!" 

"will santa get me everything i want?" she asked, a smiling forming on her face. 

the worker looked up to jooheon, his smile never leaving his face. jooheon shrugged and laughed, letting the elf take control. 

"well, princess," he started, "santa has very many boys and girls to get through, and the elves have very many toys to make, so santa might not be able to bring you everything," 

"santa is very kind," minji said with a smile, "thank you!" 

"you have very good manners. what's your name?" the elf stood up. 

"lee minji!" she exclaimed, "this is my papa! his name is lee jooheon," she grabbed her dads hand, causing him to giggle. 

"well, lee minji. i'll make sure to tell santa to our you _and_ your papa on the nice list. does that sound good?" 

"yes mr. elf!" 

\- 

"hello little one!" the santa exclaimed, putting the small girl onto his lap. jooheon stood to the side, videoing the whole experience. 

"hi santa!" minji beamed, placing her hands on her lap. 

"have you been a good girl this year?" the bearded man asked. 

"yes, santa! papa can tell you all about it!" she pointed to jooheon. 

"i'll ask papa later," santa said happily, "so what would you like for christmas, sweetie?"

minji went on, explaining the toys she's wanted for christmas, not leaving out details about colors or sizes, making sure santa knew exactly what she wanted. what jooheon wasn't expecting was what she had to say about him. 

"the last thing i want is for papa to find a wife or husband. papa doesn't care what people look like, he only cares about how nice you are. i want papa to be happy forever, because he makes me happy," 

"oh minji," jooheon whispered, his eyes becoming teary. 

"that's very kind of you, little one. i'm sure your papa loves you very much. continue being good, okay?" santa gently put the girl down. 

"okay! thank you santa!" minji exclaimed as she ran towards jooheon. he immediately picked her up and hugged her tight, a few tears painting his cheeks. 

"what's wrong papa?" minji frowned as she looked at his face. 

"nothing, my love. these are happy tears," he kissed his daughters forehead, "you made me happy," 

-

"excuse me?" jooheon felt a tap on his shoulder as he exited the mall. he turned around and was met with a familiar face. 

"oh, hi?" it came out more as a question. he couldn't quite place his finger on where he'd met this person. 

"oh, sorry!" the blonde laughed, his cheeks blushing pink, "i was the elf earlier. the one your daughter called over," 

"oh!" jooheon said, a smile making its way to his lips. 

"um, anyways," he scratched the back of his neck. during the short lived awkward silence, jooheon noticed a young boy around minji's age beside the former elf, "i was...i just wanted to tell you what minji said really made me and the other workers really happy. it's not every day a child wishes something for their parent instead of themself. it was nice," 

jooheon couldn't help but smile wide. he was so so proud of his daughter and how amazingly kind she was. he felt accomplished as a parent, "thank you so much. i'm really proud of her," 

"you should be! she's a good kid," the young boy beside the blonde was now talking to minji. 

"your papa looks like a puppy!" she held out her stuffed animal, "just like this one," 

"oh! minji, be nice, love," jooheon said, the expression on his face apologetic to the other man. 

"he's cute! just like puppies!" minji giggles. 

"thank you, minji," he laughed, giving her a high five, "you're just as pretty as a kitty," 

she blushed a light shade of red and hid behind her father's leg. jooheon could tell this man was very family oriented. it made him blush the same color as his daughter. 

"hey, um," jooheon started, "i'm jooheon," he put out his hand to shake. 

"minhyuk," he smiled taking his hand, "this is my son alex," 

"i'm alex and i'm four years old!" he giggled as he put four fingers up, showing jooheon. 

"hey buddy!" he greeted the small child with a fist bump, then looked up to his father, "d-do you maybe want to get coffee? minji and i we're heading to the shop right down the street. it'd be a pleasure if you two joined us," jooheon had a habit of being a little too formal when talking to strangers. 

"sounds great," minhyuk smiled. jooheon could've sworn it would turn the coldest or hearts warm. 

\- 

"so, does minji have a mother?" minhyuk asked, taking a sip of his warm coffee. they had made their way to the shop and had finally taken a seat by a corner near the back. minji and alex were sat across from each other, talking nonsense and coloring.

"she does, yeah," jooheon nods, "but we aren't together. she cheated on me after she found out i was bisexual, saying i would've cheated on _her_."

"oh that's horrible, i'm sorry," minhyuk frowns. 

"no! it's okay, it was three years ago. plus, i got custody of minji because of other things she had done as well. we're happy," jooheon smiles, reassuring the older male, "what about alex?"

"she passed away, actually," minhyuk said, "we actually weren't together, though. obviously not, since i'm gay, but she was my best friend. she desperately wanted a child so we agreed on having one together. unfortunately, during his birth, she passed away," 

"oh, minhyuk," jooheon placed his hand on top of the others, "i'm sorry," 

"it's alright," minhyuk smiled sadly, "she would want the best for us!" 

"i bet she would," jooheon rubbed his thumb over minhyuk soft skin. they stayed like that for a few moments before jooheon noticed what he was doing. he quickly retracted his hand and looked down at the table awkwardly. 

"that's cute," he heard minhyuk mumble. 

"so! you mentioned being santas helper is just a side job? why that if all things?" the younger quickly changed the subject, not wanting the awkwardness to linger. 

"well, i only do it saturdays and mondays. they're my usual off days, other than sunday. i like to make sure i have more than enough money for christmas. plus, alex's daycare is actually in the mall, so i can just pick him up right after," minhyuk beamed, "the job is actually quite fun. it's nice to see kids excited," 

"i bet," jooheon smiled.

"so, what do you do?" the older asked, taking a long sip of his coffee. 

"my job?" he asked. minhyuk nodded, "well i'm a highschool teacher, actually. i teach music," 

"really? that's really cool," minhyuk smiled, "i don't think i'd be able to work with teenagers, they're a handful," 

"they are. i think its easier for me to connect with them since i have a passion for music, and so do they. everyone feels comfortable," the smile on the youngers face showed it all. he loved his job, "anyways, what's your main job?" 

"i'm an art teacher for an elementary school,"

"you said you don't work mondays? why's that if you work at a school?" jooheon asked, a puzzled look on his face. 

"i have no classes on mondays. most elective teachers at my school have an off day during the week," he nods, taking a long sip from his coffee. 

"sounds like a dream," 

they both laughed, continuing with their chat. they agreed on exchanging numbers, saying they'd love to get together again. it was obvious their children were also interested in being friends, so where's the harm?


	2. All That Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it had been almost a week since the two had begun talking as friends, and it wouldn't be a complete lie to say that minhyuk loved sitting on the phone with him for hours, talking about each other's day and getting to know more things about the other.

it had been almost a week since the two had begun talking as friends, and it wouldn't be a complete lie to say that minhyuk loved sitting on the phone with him for hours, talking about each other's day and getting to know more things about the other. 

minhyuk was an observer, he always had been, so it wasn't surprising when he noticed the change in jooheon voice when he would smile, or the way he would laugh at random times, saying he thought about a past joke. minhyuk thought all the small things about the younger were cute. he liked cute. 

"what's your favorite color?" jooheon asked one night as they facetimed. 

the color of your cheeks when you're flustered, minhyuk thought, "red," he decided on. 

"really? mine too!" he excitement was obvious in jooheons face. he smiled wide, his dimples looking as if they could drown minhyuk. 

although he would never admit it so soon, minhyuk knew his heart fluttered every time he saw that smile, every time he heard the younger laugh, every time he'd receive a text from him. 

maybe, maybe, he had a slight crush.

-

"minhyuk!" a voice exclaimed through the phone. 

"yes?" the sleepy 24 year old groaned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 

"your brother needs to be picked up for his appointment! you promised you would pick him up!" his mother exclaimed, annoyed by the fact that he was still asleep. 

quickly, he checked the time, seeing it was only eight, "mom, it's still early," 

"just be there before one, lee minhyuk!" she said, "and make sure to eat this morning! also don't give any junk food to alex, i love you!" 

"i love you too, mom," he sighed, "have a good day at work, okay? don't worry about me," 

"of course i'm going to worry about you," the older woman started, "have a good day, too. bye hyukkie," 

minhyuk hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. it was a monday so he didn't need to worry about school, but he was planning on working at the mall.

he went to his sons room, pushing the already cracked door open to reveal a sleeping alex, "hey buddy," he started, pushing the young boys hair from his face, "time to wake up," 

alex groaned and turned over to face the wall, swatting minhyuk hand away, "no," 

"alex," minhyuk said sternly, "get up, now," 

"i don't want to!" he cried, hiding his face behind his blanket. 

"yeah, well sometimes we do things we don't like," he sighed, "if you get up now you'll be able to see uncle changmin later," 

"really?!" the child exclaimed. 

"yes sir," minhyuk smiled, taking his sons hand and gently pulling him out of bed, "c'mon, you need to get dressed then we can go get breakfast. how does that sound?" 

"good!" alex giggled, jumping off the bed towards the closet, "daddy, open it!" 

minhyuk quickly got alex dressed, putting him in clothing that would (hopefully) keep him warm, since it was the beginning of winter. 

they left the house around nine, arriving at their favorite diner, soon being seated by a waitress. 

"baby!" a woman called, "and my little minhyuk," 

"grandma!" alex smiles wide. 

"goodmorning nancy," minhyuk grinned. 

nancy was alex's grandmother, his late mother's mother. she had always been there for minhyuk and ember, when she was still alive. she supported both of them and was ecstatic when they decided to have a child together. she believed the only thing that mattered when coming to a child was love, and the two of them shared that. sure, it wasn't romantic, but they were best friends. 

"you two look hungry, what can i get you?" nancy asked, the smile never leaving her lips. 

"my usual. what do you want buddy?" minhyuk turned to his son. 

"mommy's favorite food!" the young boy stared up as his grandma, her smile turning to a sad one, "grandma? are you okay?" 

"i am," she nodded, "i'll get you that as soon as i can," 

minhyuk nodded to her with the same sad smile, soon turning around to face alex again. 

"daddy?" the four year old asked. 

"yeah?" 

"will i ever have a mommy?" he frowned, picking up one of his crayons. 

the brunette look at his son with glossy eyes, "you do have a mommy, lex. she's just not with us anymore," 

"no," he started, "a new mommy. chan told me he has a new mommy. he doesn't like her though..."

minhyuks face instantly changed to one of interest. he hadn't told his son about his sexuality yet, nor had he explained the concept of what it was. he'd only told him that love between two people is all that matters. 

"alex, this might be...hard to hear, but," he sighed, "if you were to have another parent, it'd be a daddy. i don't like girls like that," 

"but mommy was a girl," 

"yes, she was, but mommy was also my best friend. we wanted to have you so we could know we'd be with each other forever. she was my everything, and after she passed and you were born, you became my everything. there's no telling when you'll have another daddy, or if you will, but just know that not matter what, love is the only thing that matters. okay?" 

alex furrowed his eyebrows, looking back up at his father, "what about minji's dad?" 

minhyuk could have sworn his heart stopped beating in that moment, "w-what?" 

"you talk to him all the time," he stated, "i think you like him," 

"i've only been talking to him for a week, buddy," 

"does love know time?" a voice asked. nancy placed two plates of food down in front of the two boys, soon sliding into the seat next to alex, "that's what you've always said. ever since this little guy was born" 

"yeah but," minhyuk laughed, "i don't know what romantic love is," 

"you learn something new every day," she smiled.

"i cant just learn something like that over night. if i feel anything for him, it's a mere crush. it's probably not even that,"

"from what i've heard, you talk to him all the time. you must know something about him," nancy was enjoying this far too much. 

"i mean..." minhyuk looked at his plate, "no, nothing. he's just a friend," 

nancy stood up, placing the bill on the table, her smiler wider than ever, "for now," 

-

“i’m here to pick up lee changmin,” the twenty four year old said to the highschool secretary, tightly holding his sons hand. 

“grade?” he asked, not looking up from the computer. 

“twelfth,” minhyuk stated. 

“homeroom?” he sighed, typing quickly. 

“yoo kihyun,” 

“you called?” someone asked from behind. kihyun came into view, a cup of coffee in hand. 

“mr. yoo, aren’t you supposed to be in class?” the secretary asked. 

“no, mr. im, i have a free period. of course, you would know that if you read my schedule,” kihyun simply stated. 

“that’s not my job,” 

“anyways! hey hyuk. hi alex!” the short male smiled. 

kihyun and minhyuk had been friends since they were little kids, basically living together. their families had always been close. 

“hi kiki!” alex exclaimed, “where’s uncle changmin?” 

“lunch,” kihyun nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, “i’ll go grab him-“ 

“mr. yoo, that’s my job,” the secretary said. 

“okay, _changkyun_ , go get him, and stop calling me mr. yoo!” he frowned as the other as he walked out of the office, “ugh! he makes me so-“ 

“minhyuk?” a voice questioned. said man turned around to see a confused jooheon dressed in black slacks, a blue button up, and a black tie. he stood outside the office, a stack of papers in hand. 

“o-oh,” minhyuks cheeks flames as he took in the other appearance, “um, hi, jooheon,” 

“you two know each other?” kihyun asked, leaning against a wall. 

“uh, yeah,” jooheon smiled, “what’re you doing here?” 

“i’m picking my brother up for an appointment,” he stated, “he’s a senior,” 

“really? what’s his name? he might be one of my students,” 

“lee changmin,” minhyuk nodded. he looked past jooheon, noticing his brother walking towards him, “speak of the devil,” 

“let’s go,” changmin spoke, his voice deep and annoyed, “hey mr. lee,” 

jooheon nodded at the student, soon looking back to minhyuk, “can you call me later?” 

the brunettes face reddened again, “u-uh yeah,” 

“bye little guy,” jooheon stooped down to alex’s level, “be good for your dad,” 

“i will! tell minji i said hi!” he giggled. 

the three boys left the building and went towards minhyuks car. changmin sat in the front beside his brother, putting his headphones on. 

the older simply sighed, moving one of the buds out of his ear, “what’s your problem?” 

“nothing is my problem,” he stated, “can i listen to my music in peace?” 

“not until you tell me why you’re acting like this. i mean, i know you don’t like me, but why are you being even more of an ass today?” minhyuks voice broke as he spoke. 

“really?” changmin scoffed. 

“daddy, you said a bad word,” alex said. 

“yeah, well sometimes when grownups are mad, they’re allowed to say bad words,” the oldest of the three turned back to his brother, “what did i do?” 

changmin said nothing. he stared out the window, the back of his head facing his brother. 

“changmin, please,” 

“i don’t hate you, hyuk,” he started, “it’s just-i don’t agree with your lifestyle,” 

“my lifestyle?” 

“you...i mean...you like men,” he sighed, his eyes still glued to the window. 

“you don’t agree with it?” minhyuks heart was beating faster than ever. he’d never been called out because of his sexuality by a family member. hell, he thought everyone knew before he even came out. 

“no. i don’t. you have a son that need a mother. he needs a woman in his life to give him love that you can’t, to show him things you can’t,” 

“don’t say that. my son is fully capable of understanding how things work without a mother. he has both of his grandmothers that take care of him all the time. he has me, his dad, someone who will never stop loving him, to show him how things go. how could you say me loving a man is wrong if i’m happy?” 

“because it’s not right-“ 

“no. what’s not right is forcing your child to see you go through life regretting every decision you make because you can’t love someone the way everyone else does. what’s not right is teaching your child that your feelings don’t matter, that even if you know your going against yourself, nothing matters. do you want my son, my alex, to grow up with a depressed father because his own fucking brother doesn’t accept who he is? changmin, do you know how much that hurts?!” minhyuks eyes were blurring as the tears streamed down his face. before he could cause any harm, he pulled into a supermarket parking lot. 

“minhyuk-“ changmin was cut off. 

“uncle, daddy told me this morning that love is the only thing that matters. it doesn’t matter who you love, it just matters that we still love each other. i think if daddy likes a boy then that’s okay, he will be happy with a boy. it’s just like how you like girls. he can’t stop it,” alex states with a shrug, “i don’t think you should be mad at him. he didn’t do anything wrong,” 

although changmins words hurt him, he couldn’t help but to smile at his son. he was so intelligent, even at a young age. he understood love, and to minhyuk, that’s all that mattered right now. 

there was a long silence, feeling as if it lasted a lifetime. soon, changmin spoke. 

“im sorry. i just-i don’t hate you,” the seventeen year old said, “you can date whoever you want, i guess, just don’t make it awkward with my teacher. he’s my favorite,” 

“jooheon?” minhyuk asked, changmin nodded, “no! he’s only my friend!” 

“tell that to your pink face when you talk to him,” he joked with a smile. 

“you’re such a dick!” minhyuk laughed, pushing his brother. 

“okay! whatever. i have an appointment,” changmins smile stuck to his face for the rest of the ride. 

when minhyuk was signing changmin in at the doctors office, alex pulled on the matters wrist, “uncle changmin?” 

“yeah?” he asked, stooping to the child’s level. 

“i think daddy likes jooheon. please don’t be mean to him,” the kid had a frown on his face as he spoke. 

changmin felt a tug at his heart. he needed to be more accepting of his brohter, he had always been there for him. it was his turn to do the same, “of course. thanks sport,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am totally aware that this chapter is absolute trash, but hopefully the next one won’t be as pitiful <3


End file.
